Do you really come from nowhere? The question stroke at my wavering attention like a shotgun in the dark, eyes glazed with a thousand miles regaining cognizance as I habitually rotated them towards the breach of silence. If I really came from nowhere? Blank blinks met her question as strands of thought raced through my mind, none assembled enough to get a hold on. “Nowhere -“ I nodded, more to myself than as a gesture towards her “- and everywhere. One place inspires no more affiliation than the next.” Home had forever been a foreign term to me, like sobriety to an alcoholic, and as the sights of day became familiar to one’s eyes it had always been time to move on. Perhaps that was why, as the night whose pitchy mantle veiled Lorieen, I felt more at home, more at ease than anywhere else. All looks the same in the dark.

Luxuriant grassland hills had seemingly fared well through Birdsong, a welcoming sight for starved eyes, though the unwavering resolve of the Czarina kept me to longing glances as the swaying green mocked my stomach whose growls had grown more exigent by the mile. As we ambled up and down the rolling hills I tried picking the ones tall enough for me not to lean or slow down, but it proved as futile as a blonde in a spelling bee. By the time rocky paths disturbed the serene plains I nearly found myself thankful for the diminishing temptations. A well-worn path trailed through the myriad of stones, dawn creeping over the hills like it was crawling out of the grave. Like the gentleman I was I had let Ghost walk first down the treacherous path, following her trail as fast as my unaccustomed hooves could find grip.

At first the roar of water had been nothing more than a buzzing, a low background noise not deserving much attention. However, after a meter, tens and then hundreds, the waterfall became a source of sempiternal distraction, a destructive force leaving little room for much else. "I offer the same to you.” Her voice pierced the absoluteness of the thunderous cascades “Should you wish to remain this herd has many ranks within it, if you have a talent to pursue or an interest. Everyone here has a job and we all work in our own unique ways to care for our family." Family? Well, I didn't know about that, but I was sure I could be of some service, if only for the time being. “What did you have in mind?” As the words leave me a swart crow ascends, fluttering its wings to reveal a black stallion which put me in a state of internal gaping. This place is not sane, coco I tell you. This surely couldn't be healthy.